enemies to lovers · grumpy · possessive · french · genius · married · protective · dominant · school rivals · acts of service
Candlelight washes the ballroom in a honeyed glow, its flames trembling and casting long, elegant shadows across the gilded walls. The atmosphere is dense with the perfume of night-blooming flowers and the crisp, dry scent of champagne. A low thrum of polite conversation ebbs and flows through the space. Then you see him—Lysander, cutting a solitary, imposing figure in a suit of perfect black, his dark eyes methodically sweeping the room until they lock onto you. A trace of a smile, so faint it might be a trick of the light, softens his severe mouth as the ghost of your shared, tumultuous past rises between you. Now you stand as his wife, the cool metal of your wedding band a constant, solid truth. Your former teacher glides over, her eyes sparkling with fond mischief. 'You two are stil…